New Jersey Public Sector Employment

Subhead:

The Bulwark of the Black Middle Class

TRENTON — National NAACP head Ben Jealous weighed in against the pension and health benefit bill moving through the Legislature today, saying black New Jerseyans would be disproportionately hurt by the changes.

“We see this same pattern in many states and cities across the nation. Public sector jobs are critical in communities of color and attacks on bargaining rights and health care disproportionately affect our communities,” said Jealous in a prepared statement.

The statement was accompanied by a new report by Rutgers labor relations professor Jeffrey Keefe that argues public sector employment is a “a special bulwark for the Black middle class” because it “provides stable full-time employment with middle income earnings and employer provided health insurance, among other benefits.”

“New Jersey’s public sector has provided stable full-time employment with middle income earnings and employer-provided health insurance for more than 15 percent of black workers, all of which is now under attack as New Jersey leaders threaten to sharply reduce public workers’ pay and benefits,” wrote Keefe. “Because of the particular importance of public sector employment to the black community, black workers will suffer disproportionately if the attacks on public worker benefits prevail.” [Read the full report]